Gender Microaggressions During Virtual Residency Interviews and Impact on Ranking of Programs During the Residency Match

Abstract

Background Microaggressions are one form of gender bias contributing to gender disparities and mistreatment, but their prevalence during virtual residency interviews has not been explored. Objective To explore applicants’ recall of experiencing gender microaggressions during virtual residency interviews and whether these experiences affected programs’ rank position on applicants’ rank lists. Methods Fourth-year medical students at a single institution who participated in the 2021 Match were surveyed after submitting their rank lists. Students were surveyed categorically on (1) their recall of the frequency they experienced 17 gender microaggressions during interviews, and (2) how these affected reported ranking of programs on their rank lists. Results Sixty-one percent (103 of 170) of eligible students responded to the survey. Seventy-two percent (36 of 50) of women experienced at least one microaggression compared to 30% (9 of 30) of men. The largest difference was in the experience of environmental microaggressions, which are demeaning cues communicated individually or institutionally, delivered visually, or that refer to climate (P